headsman

Definition of headsmannext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of headsman Two other men, subjects of excellent Holbein drawings in the show, would keep appointments with the headsman. Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2022 Even if your reality is the headsman’s block! Helen Shaw, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2021 Once upon a time, the queen could have sent rebels to the Tower and the headsman’s block, even relatives—especially relatives. Matt Seaton, The New York Review of Books, 9 Mar. 2021 The British prime minister has assembled a trio of headsmen to sever Britain from the mainland. Vanityfair.com, VanityFair.com, 22 Mar. 2017 Several other leading figures of the period ended their days on the executioner’s block, including the unhappy Comte de Chalais, whose headsman bungled the job and ended up frantically chopping away at his screaming victim with a small hatchet. David A. Bell, Foreign Affairs, 1 Mar. 2012
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headsman
Noun
  • And her teachers didn’t mention the woman who slipped the executioner’s noose and freed New England?
    Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
  • The executioners often kept the shoes.
    Joshua Levine, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Just after the American Civil War, people in Pennsylvania were still following the ancient Roman polymath Pliny’s advice to wrap their aching heads with a piece of a hangman’s noose.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
  • The classic effigy comes with a free hangman’s noose or lasso.
    Jack Handey, New Yorker, 17 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Meanwhile, Jackson’s daughter, Paris Jackson, has been involved in an ongoing legal battle with the executors of the Michael Jackson estate Branca and McClain, alleging financial mismanagement, excessive fees and self-serving bonus payments.
    Dominic Patten, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2026
  • In others, the executor may take control of the property and pay expenses from estate funds during probate.
    Nancy Ashburn, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Police scoff at the idea, so the women decide to find the murderer on their own.
    Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
  • The statement said Midlothian police are partnered with other agencies, including the Texas Department of Public Safety, in the hunt for the murderer.
    Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Headsman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headsman. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.

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